Skip to main content

tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  November 23, 2012 8:00am-9:00am PST

8:00 am
tree. this year's tree is a 19 footer from north carolina. it was selected in october and harvested earlier this month at a prize winning farm there. it's already there. we saw a picture of it. you can see the band there waiting for the first lady to come out to welcome the tree. we'll carry those moments live. thank you so much for joining me today. "cnn newsroom" continues right now. hey, everyone. i'm john berman. it's 11:00 on the east coast, 8:00 in the west. the man praised around the world for playing a central patrrole the ceasefire between israel and hamas is right now the target of massive protests. tens of thousands of protesters are in tahrir square and other cities calling morsi a dictator and the new pharaoh. he granted himself broad new
8:01 am
powers specially allowing him to run the country unchecked. and the truce is facing its first challenge. a palestinian farmer was shot dead when israeli officers shot near the border. first i want to go to cairo and reza sayah who's following all the developments there. just a few moments ago, morsi spoke to a huge crowd. what did he say? >> well, he tried to calm things down. he defended his position. he defended the controversial decrees he announced last night telling his opponents that he's part of the revolution, one of the people. certainly at this hour he's got a lot of opponents and critics who do not agree with him and are are expressing their outrage in the streets. dramatic scenes in cairo.
8:02 am
very reminiscent of the scenes we saw during the 2011 egyptian revolution. back then it was aimed at former president hosni mubarak. now aimed at mr. morsi. there were some clashes during the protest in tahrir square that are ongoing. the clashes witnesses say were caused by protesters that threw rocks at security forces. the security forces responded by firing tear gas. and back and forth went this cat and mouse game that has been emblematic of these protests. the outranl comes after the decrees last night that many critics are describing as a power grab. one of the decrees bans anyone even the judiciary from putting into question, overturning any of his decisions since he came into power in june. he says these moves are to move along the democratic process and
8:03 am
to protect the revolution. obviously at this hour he has many opponents who disagree with them and they're expressing their outrage right now. >> the protests aren't just in cairo. they're in other cities. reza, do you have any idea who these people are? who are these protesters? are they former loyalists to the regime? >> no. certainly not. these are many of the factions that spearheaded the 2011 egyptian revolution. they are youth groups, women's right groups, christian groups, moderates. these are all political factions who are protesting that they've been sidelined by the islamist factions. in another one of morsi's decrees he announced last night, he said the constitutional assembly that has been charged with drafting this all-important new constitution for egypt
8:04 am
cannot be disbanded. there's a lot of these represent is of the factions that we described to you that have quit this panel in protest saying they're not being represented adequately. with this particular decree, mr. morsi says this particular panel is going to move forward. again, his critics are saying it's a power grab. it's his way to push forth a panel right now that's dominated by islamic representatives. >> so interesting the steps you're laying out here. another one of the first things that the president is going to do is apparently call for a retrial of the former president hosni mubarak. why did he make this move? what kinds of politics are at play here? >> well, his position is he wants to clean all the remnants of the old regime. including the former prosecutor that he sacked last night with one of his decree. the prosecutor that's been in place for ten years. in this decree he says that all senior police officials, all
8:05 am
politicians that were accused of injuring, cracking down on protesters, killing protesters during the 2011 revolution will be put on trial again, will be investigated again. of course there were a number of senior police officials under the mubarak regime who were put on trial a first time and were acquitted. that sparked widespread outrage. mr. morsi saying those individuals going to be tried again. >> all right. reza sayah, quite an interesting scene in egypt. thanks very much. nouncer ] unlike sprays and dust rags, swiffer 360 dusters extender can clean hard to reach places in less time. swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back.
8:06 am
starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites.
8:07 am
discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news.
8:08 am
at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. exciting moment just moments ago at the white house. 1600 pennsylvania avenue. you're looking at right there. that is the new white house christmas tree. actually, that's the first lady and daughters walking out to greet the new white house christmas tree. you're about to see it right here. on the back of a horse-drawn carriage as it were. it is a 19 foot fraser fur. it was harvested in october.
8:09 am
and it will go on display in the blue room. this beautiful 19 foot fraser fur. there's bo, the white house dog checking out the tree. i hope this is as close a look as he gets to it. you know how dogs get in your trees sometimes. the fraser furs in north carolina are popular trees if the white house. there was one that sat in the blue room in 2008. another fraser fur from ash county was the white house christmas tree in 2008. this one you're looking at it arriving now. the 19 foot fraser fur will be the white house christmas tree. a tradition. meanwhile, another tradition. thursday is the new friday. big retailers getting ahead on black friday sales opening their doors earlier than ever. the turkey hadn't even settled before some hit the stores last night. walmart, toys r us, sears.
8:10 am
147 million people are expected to shop this weekend. $21 billion in sales expected. that is up just a bit from last year. and today we are in full swing covering the holiday shopping season. we are staked out around the country keeping tabs on just how crazy it is out there. george howell has been in a best buy in atlanta since, like, dawn. predawn. what's it looking like there now, george. >> well, look. what we're seeing right now according to the people who work here. we're seeing those customers who show up who want to buy the higher priced items. what we saw hours ago, midnight when this store opened, those were the people that were looking for the deals. we have this video to show you. some 600 people who were lined around this building waiting to get inside to get those special offers. these things laptops, televisions wsh things marked down hundreds of dollars in cases. you're finding people are satisfied with what they're
8:11 am
seeing. fewer people will be shopping this year but they are shelling out more money. these stores are counting on that. i want to pan around and show you what's happening here. when you look at it, it's picked up since we've last been here. and you talk about the things that are the hot items here. you've got the laptops, the televisions, several of these cameras that are marked down. it's especially important for best buy because best buy had disappointing third quarter earnings. they're doing everything they can to get people into the store to look at things like this. take a look here. here we are looking at ourselves. william, photojournalist stepped out to get just me in. there's a lot of stuff that we were going to make sure the customers know about to help thel get through the rest of the year. >> you look great on the tv on the tv. kind of a metta thing going on there. you're at best buy of course. we're hearing of problems at k-marts around the country.
8:12 am
what can you tell us about that? >> k-marts. let's talk about indianapolis. we know fights broke out at two different k-marts because of black friday shopping. we also know in sacramento, that's a situation where we've learned that a customer threatened to stab other customers. if he was pushed when trying to get into the store. also in michigan, we know there were fights that broke out at a store, a jcpenneys in kentwood, michigan. at least two people were taken away in handcuffs. police there had had to use pepper spray. overall when you look at this store, for instance, you know they had a controlled entry. 600 people outside, but they let 50 people in at a time. that seemed to work here dealing with the crowds. right now it continues to be a busy day here for this particular store. >> all right, george howell live at best buy. sorry to hear about the activity, the aggressiveness around the country. it's shopping, guys.
8:13 am
relax a little bit. thanks, george. fed up workers on strike today complicating matters at walmart stores across the country. they say what better day than black friday to get their message across. cnn's keyong joins us live. how big are these demonstrations today? >> well, if you look at the video from all the different demonstrations from across the country, you see a couple hundred people at a store. and look at the locations of these various places. dallas, texas. you have a store in maryland. you have stores here in california that we're expecting later in the day. so tlar number of stores across the country where we're seeing more of these protests. but walmart says you have to look beyond just the bodies there. when they look at who showed up and walked off the shop, only
8:14 am
about 50 employees did not show up as they were scheduled. they're saying they have the same number of employees who didn't show up for work last year as they had this year. so what walmart is saying is they believe and they keep pushing this, is this is a union-backed effort that as far as the walmart employees, they believe this is limited. talk to some of these people in the picket lines today and they will tell you that this is a very important move for them. that they are hoping to make a message on a potent shopping day. >> i'm getting the sense that the protest and picket lines are keeping any shoppers away? >> not at all. when actually we talked to some of the employees who were working overnight here at this particular walmart the employees said they had a robust black friday. there were a lot of shoppers in the stores. but the point of this from them is not to impact walmart itself. they're trying to talk directly
8:15 am
to management. we also did reach out to walmart. and walmart does say that they are posting their best black friday in the early hours of this big important shopping event. they're going to say it's going to be the best ever for them. >> a smoggy california. thanks for being here. [ male announcer ] a european-inspired suspension, but it's not from germany. ♪ a powerful, fuel-efficient engine, but it's not from japan. ♪
8:16 am
it's a car like no other... from a place like nother. introducing the all-w 2013hevrolet malibu, our greatest malibu ever. ♪
8:17 am
we're back to the middle east now. as we mentioned an almost two-day-old ceasefire between israel and hamas appears to be holding but barely. the group says a young palestinian was shot to death today. 19 other wounded by israeli forces in a buffer zone. israel is not confirming
8:18 am
casualties but says palestinian rioters were trying to breach the border. this much we know. eight days of conflict divided the sides more than they were. but in certain amazing ways it also brought them together. sarah sidner found proof in a tel aviv hospital. >> reporter: joseph ask listening to a bedtime story in the hospital. a victim of an age-old conflict that has shattered his family life. he and his parents were staying inside this apartment building in southern israel when a rocket from gaza slammed into it. the blast sheered off several of his fingers. and took his mother's life. she was among the first to die on the israel side of the border. he was saying my mother's not here. she's with god. he knows it will be a hard time, his grandmother says. hard is putting it mildly. he has just been through a
8:19 am
second surgery. doctors at the medical center at the hospital reattached four of his fingers. but in the end, they had to reamputate two of them. he lives in the south and there are rockets all the time in that area. hamas doest think about where the rockets are going. while he is being treated in this hospital room, just one room away there's another child with the same kind of war injuries. except she's from the other side of the conflict. she's from gaza. 8-year-old bisan lost three fingers when the war came to her home. i heard the sound of a missile that hit. i didn't have time to ask what happened, thin the second one hit she says. when the dust cleared, she could see the bones of her small child's fingers on the floor. she was taken to the hospital in gaza but it was too crowded and they couldn't give her the best care. so the family asked israel for permission to cross the border. initially her mother was terrified.
8:20 am
terrified at the prospect of people considered an enemy in their country putting their hands on her wounded daughter. it's a strange situation. and it's my first time entering israel. i was afraid. but they treated me and my daughter in a very nice way. and i understand that medicine has nothing to do with politics, she says. >> all protection is blocked outside the hospital. inside this there is sanity. here we treat people. we don't actually look from where they are and what they do and what they did before coming here and what they're going to do after leaving us. >> this doctor is treating both children. >> they'll never be normal. it will affect their lives from now on in choice of profession, in choice of a future partners for life, everything. >> reporter: she has worked in
8:21 am
this hospital her entire career. treating everyone from bombers to civilians to everyone in between. >> what is it this piece of land that everybody is fighting about it all the time? whether this is our luck for eternity from now on. always have injured on both sides. always fighting. what's the point? >> reporter: if there is a point, it is lost on a 4-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl from either side of the israel-gaza border who just want to be children but now share a similar fate. their innocence interrupted by a war they had nothing to do with. >> that executive called it an island of sanity. such a nice story. thank you for that. i understand bisan is not the only gazan being treated right
8:22 am
now in tel aviv. >> that's correct. this is normal for this hospital. what's unusual in this case is both the children came to the hospital within a day of each other and had almost the exact same injury to their hands. and so doctors hadn't seen that before, but they have certainly treated many children from gaza and from other areas who come over the border who don't have the kind of care they need at the hospital that's there in gaza and who are accepted in their arms with no questions asked. you heard the doctors talking there. she said, you know, look. we look at them as human beings first. that's all we're concerned about. they are patients and we want to heal them. >> i have to take you out of the island of sanity for a moment to talk about the border clash, the shooting near the fence sprading gaza and israel. has this had any effect on the ceasefire as of now? >> neither side has said anything about breaking the ceasefire. but we're hearing this is a violation of the ceasefire. so a lot of people hoping it
8:23 am
doesn't actually break the ceasefire apart. we do know 25 people injured. according to the health ministry there in gaza and one person killed. israeli military, though, is saying they do not have any confirmation of those numbers at this point in time. they're still investigating. and they say this group of people came up to the border fence, were protesting trying to cross over. a warning shot was fired and then we were continuing to do what they continue doing coming close to the border fence. so the military shot at their legs. >> all right. sara sidner in jerusalem this evening your time. thanks for being here. the rockets wounded hundreds on both sides of the border. six israelis and more than 100 palestinians were killed. . what's better? faster or slower? [ all kids ] faster! ok, what's fast? um, my mom's car and a cheetah. okay. a spaceship. a spaceship. and what's slow? my grandma's slow.
8:24 am
would you like it better if she was fast? i bet she would like it if she was fast. hm, maybe give her some turbo boosters. tape a cheetah to her back. tape a cheetah to her back? seems like you have thought about this before. [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. faster is better. and the iphone 5 downloads fastest on at&t 4g. ♪ so why exactly should that be of any interest to you? well, in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. like the transatlantic cable that connected continents. and the panama canal that made our world a smaller place. we supported the marshall plan that helped europe regain its strength. and pioneered the atm, so you can get cash when you want it. it's been our privilege to back ideas like these,
8:25 am
and the leaders behind them. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping people and their ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ (announcer) when subaru owners look in the mirror, they see more than themselves.
8:26 am
so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.
8:27 am
this is a huge weekend for sports. here's a story you won't see anywhere else about determined athletes winning the toughest battle of their lives. against addiction. and they're doing it with the help of this week's cnn hero. >> to get on my bike and go ride in the mountains really just brings peace. in my drug and alcohol use was the opposite. i got into it pretty young. by the time i was 15, i was using pretty serious drugs. when i got sober and lost my group of friends because they were still out drinking and
8:28 am
using, i got into boxing, triathlon, climbing. i had this new group of friends. i had completely redefined myself. i thought how can we give this to other people. i'm scott strode and i want to help give people a better life. >> it's good to see you here. >> all the programs are free to anyone who want to get sober. you see you're capable what you put your mind to. we do bike rides, triathlon training, strength training. it really is just a new community of folks to hang out with. i'm an example of hitting rock bottom. i had a heroin overdose. they had to restart me with the paddles. going out biking and boxing, hitting the bag fills the void.
8:29 am
phoenix is the best support group i could imagine having. >> we're having fun and we're proud of being sober. come out and go climbing with us. >> scott is just one of our top ten honorees won of whom will become cnn hero of the year and receive $150,000. who will it be? you decide. you do. go to cnn online or on your mobile device to vote every day fur your most inspirational hero. all ten already honors at cnn heroes on sunday, december 2nd. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. but what about your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles
8:30 am
in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®.
8:31 am
8:32 am
all right. love to shop but hate the crowds? you can shop online and maybe avoid sales tax. you have to wait a day or two for your stuff but amazon claims some are willing to pay tax if
8:33 am
it means faster delivery. kwould you believe same day? we look at what this means for you and for your friendly neighborhood merchants. >> reporter: online versus brick and mortar. it has perhaps never been so intense. for years amazon had a key advantage in states like california. no sales tax. local bookstores already under pressure by the rapid rise of e-books and chains felt squeezed. michael tucker owns a chain of bookstores in san francisco. >> if you could save 10%, why wouldn't you? >> reporter: but amazon's tax advantage tax advantage went away. it also began taxing in other states like pennsylvania and texas. they collect only for states where they have a physical presence. now here in california, amazon is building two giant
8:34 am
warehouses. including this one near los angeles. it's a million square feet. and for the old fashioned retailers, it's another reason to worry. why? because amazon's goal is to get items to customers faster and be able to offer same-day delivery. that's right. you can avoid stores if you want and have a package delivered to your house in a matter of hours. a win for consumers, but tough for local retailers. >> if amazon creates distribution centers and facilities on their turf locally, that takes away the one advantage we see retailers have left to compete against amazon. it is a big deal. >> reporter: collin sea bas sebastian says that's why they need to take a cue. >> they need to become more sophisticated offline and online. >> reporter: those who want a
8:35 am
lesson on of to thrive should learn a lesson from books inc. in san francisco. amidst a tidal wave of change, michael tucker's stores are thriving. >> everybody can get the books. but the staffs we have and the readers we have that are working with the public, that's the difference. that's the different factor we have. tremendous staff engaged with those communities. >> reporter: a basic reminder to all retailers internet and otherwise that good customer service could be the decisive factor in winning over business. dan simon, cnn, san francisco. with the adt after thanksgiving sale. get adt home security and home management starting at just $99. that's a savings of $300. plus 15% off accessories. call now or visit adtpulse.com/tv. sale ends midnight november 27th. more than a security system, adt can help you turn on a few lights.
8:36 am
bring family in from the cold. even let you know when an old friend has arrived. get the advanced technology of adt and save $300. starting at $99 installed. pulse save on accessories. call now or visit adtpulse.com/tv. sale ends midnight november 27th. humans -- sometimes life trips us up. and sometimes, we trip ourselves up, but that's okay. at liberty mutual insurance we can "untrip" you as you go through your life with personalized policies and discounts when you need them most. just call... and speak with a licensed representative about saving on your policy when you get married,
8:37 am
move into a new house... [crash!] or add a car to your policy. don't forget to ask about saving up to 10% when you combine your auto and home insurance with liberty mutual. security, coverage, and savings. all the things humans need to make our beautifully imperfect world a little less imperfect. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?
8:38 am
well, you have your eyes on the black friday deals and investors are keeping their eyes on these big black friday crowds for signs of consumer confidence. here's how the markets are reacting right now. the dow having a decent day. up around 117 points right now. markets are open for just a short session today. they're going to close at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. already back home with a car full of black friday bargains? if so, did you have the best deal? >> and if you're getting a late start, you'll want to hear from this. here's alison kosik with top tips from the stock exchange. >> with thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, the holiday
8:39 am
shopping season is officially in full swing. up to 147 million people are going to be shopping online or visit stores this weekend. they're going to be looking for a lot of deals. even with all the markdowns and promotions, you know what? you may not be getting the best deal. we've got a few tips on items to avoid buying. first of all, skip the clothing rack. the 50% off sign, clothes are usually discounted later in the season as stores get ready for spring apparel. another aisle to skip, believe it or not, the toys. wait until two weeks before christmas because then you'll find cheaper prices. also avoid buying that big brand name hd tv. if you can, wait until january or february. prices on those usually fall as manufacturers clear stock to make room for newer models. and last but not least, christmas decorations. i know you're getting in that holiday spirit, but so is everybody else. the advice is wait for prices to drop as the holiday gets closer.
8:40 am
if you've got the patience, the best time to buy christmas decorations is after christmas. so it's kind of planning ahead for the next year if you want to find those discounted deals. >> you mentioned clothes, toiss, tvs, and christmas decorations. whap does that mean? what should you be shopping for today? >> electronics. electronics. i'm seeing a lot of good deals on electronics. you know what? you can follow these guidelines, but the deals are also out there. just choose them carefully, i think, john. >> it's good because electronics are on my list. so if you're shopping for me, get me anything you want. 40 minutes after the hour right now. analysts are expecting the crowds to be smaller compared to last year but spending more. estimates say black friday sales will reach $21 billion this year.
8:41 am
when we got married. i had three kids. and she became the full time mother of three. it was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule.
8:42 am
i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook.
8:43 am
8:44 am
was ae mentioned the ceasefire between israel and hamas are facing a test right now. israeli troops opened fire on the border with gaza killing a palestinian man and wounding 19 others. hamas says the victims were farmers trying to check their area near the zone. israel says they were trying to breach the fence. i spoke with stewart holliday. he is currently the president and ceo of the meridian international center. i began the interview by asking him how troubling the incident on the border is for the ceasefire. >> at the local level, it's obviously very troubling and there are lives at stake and
8:45 am
there's this delicate balance on a ceasefire. but in the bigger picture, there's a lot invested in this ceasefire at the political level. it seems to be at this point more of the typical border incident category kind of problem rather than a directed violation from either side of the ceasefire. i think that's what we're going to have to watch for. >> looking at this as a short-term fix. a band-aid that will last as long as hamas manages to rearm and perhaps start shooting rockets again. is it naive to talk about a long-term deal? and what should the u.s. be doing right now? >> well, the united states, of course, president obama dispatched secretary clinton and she was there when the ceasefire deal was reached. and it signals, i think, a renewed engagement. even though we have the so-called pivot to asia, the middle east obviously still is a vital security interest from the united states. i think you're going to see a
8:46 am
little bit more activity. in israel you have election coming up in january. the palestinian, both factions hamas and fata are talking about some sort of coalition. so i think you're going to see some movement obviously at any point the extremists particularly those that are actually to the -- more radical than hamas could seek to destabilize the situation. >> you brought up fata. they've been called powerless, impotent a lot during the conflict over the last ten days or so and criticized by members of hamas and some islamists in the region. on cnn yesterday there was a member of hamas talking about the palestinian authority. let's listen. >> i think people feel now that the only way which can push to give concessions is the resistance. because spent 20 years in
8:47 am
negotiation but get nothing from this. >> does the palestinian authority have any power anymore to negotiate? or are they just an empty suit? >> no. they do have -- they do have power, but again, they don't have the popular support in gaza that's necessary to enforce or bring any large scale deal along. so it's really a bifurcated government. you can bet that hamas is going to be the key here. what hamas is doing now, of course, is a draw for them or a ceasefire is being portrayed to their people as a victory. now, i think if you look at the damage inflicted on gaza, it'd be hard to call that a victory. they're trying to get political support. >> they lost their key defense chief also. there was another player the past few days.
8:48 am
mohamed morsi. he's largely credited by the u.s. for helping the ceasefire happen. he did something extraordinary overnight. he gave himself some new administrative powers which makes all his rulings immune from any kind of legal challenges. some people are saying this is just the next step of becoming more of a dictator here. was he taking advantage of the situation? >> well, we'll have to watch this closely. it appears the timing is curious. he's gotten the support and this bump particularly for his role in mediating the ceasefire from the united states and from others. he's seen as emerging stronger from this. this goes back to a time when egypt was appointed by mubarak and a check on the executive branch. what he said this is temporary. until the have a constitution, a temporary step. so we'll have to see if anything looks like it's being put into
8:49 am
place permanently, could be a big problem for democracy. >> thanks to stuart holliday from the united nations. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios
8:50 am
[ male announcer ] a european-inspired suspension, but it's not from germany. ♪ a powerful, fuel-efficient engine, but it's not from japan. ♪ it's a car like no other... from a place like nother. introducing the all-w 2013hevrolet malibu,
8:51 am
our greatest malibu ever. ♪ we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of tim and laura. it's amazing how appreciative ople are when you tell them they could save a lot of money on their car insurance by switching to geico...they may even make you their best man. may i have the rings please? ah, helzberg diamonds. nice choice, mate. ...and now in the presence of these guests we join this loving couple. oh dear... geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.
8:52 am
. turkey and football and shopping and napping and napping are a thanksgiving weekend traditions, but so is helping, and that's why members of the baptist of the arkansas baptist day convention are hundreds of miles from their own couches and kitchen this is week cooking thousands of meals for families stricken by sandy. the visitors supply the gear and volunteers. the red cross supplies the food. before you can say loaves and fishes, the holiday dinners multiple. >> arkansas baptist state convention is capable of feeding 4,000 meals out of new york. it's another 10,000 or 15,000.
8:53 am
>> many of the volunteers are actually using vacation time from work to help out. it's really nice. speaking of work, all kinds much family businesses are still drying out, still trying to clean up after hurricane sandy. as we hear from poppy harlow, many still don't know whether they will survive or not. >> right before superstorm sandy, the streets were quiet outside liberty industrial gas and welding. >> you know, that's less than ten minutes. >> reporter: this is nightfall as the waters begin to rise. >> at this point i think it's gone. >> reporter: at industrial park in red hook, brooklyn, sandwiched between two bodies of water. liberty is right here. we really had quite a surge because of the guanas and the river essentially meeting in
8:54 am
this area. >> reporter: devastated. >> this is very hard for you permanently? >> yeah, yeah. >> i can see it in your eyes. >> yeah. yeah. it's just we're devastated. it's just been a long process, and there's tl needs to be a little bit more help. >> reporter: do you feel forgotten? >> a little bit, yeah. yeah. so this was once a really nice showroom. >> reporter: 80% of her inventory gone. >> essentially we have moved everything into our stockroom so that we can work from the sidewalk. so now this is where we are functioning our storefront. we have one functioning computer, one printer, and we have people coming in from the rolldown door. >> reporter: before sandy you didn't have any debt. but now? >> now we're probably looking at $700,000 to $800,000 of debt. >> of debt. what kind of help have you gotten from the government? >> nothing from the government. >> reporter: ashley found government loans with 6%
8:55 am
interest. her bank did better with a line of credit at just over 3%. >> we had chop saws and boxed items that -- >> there go the lights again. >> reporter: the challenge of doing business these days even the generators fail. >> things are so bad here in red hook that this business right next door to ashley's is literally drying invoices like this with a hairdryer. >> reporter: what does this business mean to you? >> everything. it's my life. >> reporter: ashley's employees watched her grow up working along side her father. if this business went under? >> i would go under too. >> reporter: now it's up to her to save their jobs. >> there's so much history here. the community. our customers. i mean, we really do have -- we have a great business here, and i think we can make it great again. >> reporter: poppy harlow, cnn, new york. so are you heading to the airport in the next few days to
8:56 am
fly back home maybe from your thanksgiving vacation? well, you will not be alone. not even close. 24 million passengers are flying, and on the busiest days, that includes sunday and monday, flights could be 90% full. here is a look at the national map. really nice weather in big parts of the country. including the northeast yesterday and today. you can see some small storms in upstate new york in the appalachians. another storm in the northwest that could cause some big-time. there's snowfall in the u.p. really my nieces and nephews up there. enjoy it, guys. just how do airports deal with the mad dash all this mess, all these people? cnn's sandra endrow got exclusive access to houston's george bush intercontinental airport. >> reporter: at the gate the action starts when these wands stop the plane.
8:57 am
we got an exclusive up close look at united airlines' highly choreographed ramp services crew at houston's bush intercontinental airport. first unloading a flight from amsterdam. these metal containers are filled with luggage. >> people don't realize there's a lot of process that is go through getting the bag from one destination to another, but we do it proficiently. >> reporter: timing is everything when you turn a plane as these guys unload the cargo off the plane. you can see there catering is restocking the plane with food. there's refueling, filling the water tank, and replacing pillows and blankets. bebe chavez watches over it all from a control center at the airport. >> i like to think of myself more as a orchestra conductor. it's a complex operation. everybody has a responsibility, a critical part of the mying. >> reporter: you have cleaning crews and maintenance checking to make sure everything inside the plane is ready to go for the
8:58 am
next flight. the pilots arrive while as many as 35 employees continue to ready the airport for departure. workers can see just how long they have to complete their task by the countdown clock over there, and typically it ranges depending on the size of the plane from 40 minutes to about an hour and a half. i got to climb inside a cargo hold being filled with bags for the flight back to amsterdam. >> we stay ahead of the game and get yourself organized and you'll be all right. >> reporter: but it's heavy lifting? >> yes, it is. when you do it so long, you'll get used to it. >> reporter: efficiency is key. the head of operations says it's not only good for passengers, but for company profits. >> the faster we can turn an airplane, the sooner we can get it back in the air flying and earning revenue for us. >> reporter: and a little over an hour since it landed, this plane is, again, filled with passengers and ready to go. after you push away from the gate, the ramp crew is done. all that is left is a taxi to
8:59 am
the runway and takeoff. each ramp services team turns around six planes a day per shift, and while speed is certainly a factor, the airline says safety is their number one priority. reporting from houston, i'm sandra endow. >> our thanks so sandra. thanks for watching. i'll be back on monday. if they don't change the locks. newsroom international starts right now with fredricka whitfield. hopefully, john, if they change the lox, they give you a key. i'm fredricka wit field in for suzanne malveaux. we're about to take you around the world in 60 minutes. here's what's going on right now. this is egypt today. thousands of people furious at their new president and crowding the streets of squares to show it. here's what they're angry about. president mohammed